Holy Redeemer’s McKenzie Chimock goes up for a shot in the District 2 Class 3A title game against Dunmore. The Royals play Hughesville at 6 p.m. Monday in the PIAA semifinals at Hazleton Area High School.
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
The Holy Redeemer girls didn’t win the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 basketball championship. Nor did the Royals capture the District 2 Class 3A crown.
They have one thing over the teams that did. They are still playing basketball.
District 2 second seed Redeemer (21-8) heads to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals for a third time in history when it plays District 4 champion Hughesville (27-3) at 6 p.m. Monday at Hazleton Area High School.
“It’s so special,” said Redeemer ‘s McKenzie Chimock, one of four seniors in the starting lineup. “There’s four of us and it’s so big for us. We really want to make it far, we really want to make it to the state chip.”
The winner will head to the state championship for the first time, playing either District 7 champion Shady Side Academy (26-2) or District 7 second seed Greensburg Central Catholic (22-7) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey.
Redeemer lost in the Class 3A semifinals in 2014 and the Class 2A semifinals in 2015. Hughesville is making its first trip to the semifinals.
The teams have some familiarity.
Hughesville defeated Redeemer 56-53 in the first round in 2025. The Spartans returned three starters from that team — 6-foot senior Vivian Draper, 5-10 junior Maddie Smith and 5-8 junior Kendall Hamm.
Smith had 20 points and 5-8 senior Kylie Temple had 15 in a 46-40 quarterfinal win against District 2 champion Dunmore. Holy Redeemer lost to Dunmore 37-35 in the district championship game on a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds remaining.
Redeemer has attacked the postseason like every game could be the final one.
“We’re playing this like our last game and, again, the seniors don’t want to quit,” Redeemer coach John Jezorwski said.
Chimock scored a season-high 27 points in a 51-36 quarterfinal win over Schuylkill Haven. She, Bella Boylan and Tessa Cegelka are all seniors who started last season vs. Hughesville.
Senior guard Kearney Quinn and junior Gillian Parsons were new to the starting lineup, but have proved their value as a ballhandler and rebounder, respectively.
Tickets are $9 and available at piaa.org by clicking on any of the links on the playoff brackets. Tickets are also available at the door for $10, but exact change is required.
In the second game at Hazleton Area, District 4 champion Lewisburg (25-4) plays District 12 fourth seed Devon Prep (8-18) in a Class 4A boys semifinal.
Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.
Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.
